Mid-Autumn Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It is an occasion to celebrate the...middle of autumn! It's actually quite a big deal. The festival lanterns come out, and everyone gets excited. Hong Kong has a national holiday tomorrow, but mainland China does not. Even though there is no day off school or work for anyone, it's still very exciting for most people.

The Mid-Autumn festival(I think) is a way to celebrate an ancient Chinese myth. My very limited knowledge on the subject holds that there was a Chinese princess deity who was in love with another deity's husband, and as a result was banished to the moon forever. She was really into dense, poor-tasting pastries filled with eggs. This is why everyone gives each other Moon Cakes,to celebrate this holiday. Nobody I've talked to is really into them, sort of like fruit cakes at Christmas. They're a good gift, but very few people actually look forward to receiving them. I guess it really is true that in this situation, it's the thought that counts.

Anyway, today there was a grand buffet set up in the compound's cafeteria for all the employees. There were all sorts of employees there, some with their children. The hotel cooks, the guards, the cleaning staff, the waitresses...everyone was there. There was lots of seafood, chicken, prawns, pork, fruit, and a lot of other things. Everyone was piling their plates high! I could tell it was a great occasion, having this special feast. There was free beer and pop too. The beverage table was initially set up so you serve yourself into a glass, but that only lasted about half an hour. Soon, The children would grab a whole big bottle of pop and sneak it back to their table, and the men would grab big bottles of beer and sneak them back to their tables. Good times all around!

The tradition of the Mid-Autumn festival is to go to a mountain top or a balcony or somewhere you can see the moon, and enjoy it with your friends or family. Unfortunately, it was raining today, and is still quite cloudy. If it wasn't raining, I don't think you could see the moon anyway, because of the thick layer of smog that blankets China. Maybe the Mid-Autumn Festival will soon be a way to tell children that there is something called a moon out there, even though nobody's ever seen it! I don't think the weather or pollution will dampen anyone's spirits though, as all the teachers gathered in a classroom after school to put on their makeup, and everyone was in a good mood. I think the prospect of hanging out with friends is more important than if the moon is visible or even remembered.

I can hear the karaoke drifting out of the cafeteria now. They call it KTV (Karaoke Television I would guess) and it is usually present when there is an important meal. The Chinese take it really seriously, so some are really good at it. I don't enjoy karaoke very much, so I'm happy I didn't stick around. Plus, it's all in Chinese, so it doesn't mean too much to me.

So, happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! I think today the full moon seems the biggest it is all year, so go outside and check it out!